Análise in silico da dependência metabólica entre Angiostrongylus spp. e seus hospedeiros

Abstract

Two species of Angiostrongylus, A. cantonensis and A. costaricensis, are known to cause eosinophilic meningitis, due to the presence of the parasite in the larval stage in the brain, and abdominal angiostrongyliasis, due to the presence of adult worms in the mesenteric artery, in humans that were accidentally infected. The capability of the parasites to remain within the host may be related to the ability to obtain nutrients and to utilize molecules fundamental for the development of the parasite, however, such responses may be different according to host genus. With the premise that the parasite uses molecules synthesized by its host to complement its own metabolism, the present study aims to evaluate through the annotation of metabolic pathways using AnEnPi and KAAS programs the metabolic dependence of two species of Angiostrongylus spp. in their hosts. When analyzing the proteomes, nine enzymes were identified only in A. cantonensis and one in A. costaricensis, as well the presence of 13 enzymes with the same function in the parasites and their hosts. We found 156 enzymes that showed a possible metabolic dependence between A. cantonensis and A. costaricensis and their hosts Rattus norvegicus, Mus musculus, Biomphalaria glabrata and Homo sapiens. Among the enzymes that possibly represent metabolic dependence were found seven enzymes with characteristic lethality, and one enzyme that also was not present in all the parasite organism analyzed.